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FEEL ONLY SPEED: GT SPORT MEDIA KIT

Gran Turismo is one of the most acclaimed videogame titles ever, and Gran Turismo Sport - the maiden GT title for PlayStation 4, took the driving simulator experience to a completely new level; with it’s extraordinary graphics (including 4K, 60fps, HDR and Wide Colour modes), crisp real-life sound and the latest vehicle physics simulation. The title empowered gamers to develop their virtual careers on the track through advanced online competition, as well as compete for a chance to become legends in the world’s first online championship certified by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, as well as utilising a VR mode to bring the virtual reality of racing to their living room.

We were asked to produce a media kit that would deliver the review code to media and key influencers, in a manner befitting the premium values GT is synonymous with. The kit developed into a GT Sport drivers ‘reference manual’ - comprising an 8pp cover and 180pp inner, which utilised highend Heaven 42 artpaper and a range of special print finishes including gold Pantone, diecuts, gloss UV, foils and personalised digital print. The book also contained a set of bound postcards, and was presented to recipients inside an angled paper over board slipcase - which referenced the angle of the GT logo.

The slipcase featured an exclusive representation of the game’s keyart, printed on silver matt laminated paper with gold SHLR foil on the spine.

The book was removed to fully reveal it’s tactile black cover with black overprint detailing and diecut of the GT brand logo, through which was revealed gold monotone imagery on the book’s opening page. The book’s opening also featured numbered editioning, before leading into a foldout GT Sport artwork featuring gold Pantone. An underlying palette of white, black and gold allowed the bright colours of the game imagery to shine, whilst a font based on vintage Italian highway lettering, Autostrada, tied in nicely to the racing theme - it’s condensed and slightly softened forms gave both a classic and contemporary feel to the book.

The book comprised 4 sections - designated by an angled diecut section page with monotone imagery and chequered flag pattern - and featured a mix of screenshots, renders and imagery created specifically for the media kit by the developer, Polphony Digital Inc. Interspersed amongst the imagery was an introduction by Kazunori Yamauchi, Producer of the “Gran Turismo” series - as part of 20 pages of text - localised to create 10 different language books, across a total edition of 2656.

Section 2 featured an extensive section dedicated to Vision GT, the cars that money can’t buy and no other game has. Originating from a plan launched on 20 August 2013, Vision GT tasked the world’s auto-makers and carrozzerias to develop high-performance sports cars instilled with the traditions and philosophies of their companies, to be released through Gran Turismo. The project has since moved far beyond the videogame realm, making waves in the world of automotive design and engineering and appearing on the stages of motor shows around the world. This section culminated with a 8pp gloss laminated foldout.

Sections 3 & 4 depicted some of the game’s 40 tracks, new features and Scapes - a mode that allowed fans to produce DSLR quality photography in-game of the cars, with a host of backdrops and climate/world adjustments in conjunction with deep level camera settings such as aperture and shutter speed.

The book ended with the game’s release date and a gold monotone image - mirroring the first page - which sat alongside the foldout back cover, into which was set the review disc within an angled pocket. The back cover folded out again to reveal the postcards - the cover of which featured 10 Vision GT cars - randomly distributed to recipients, whilst the 8 postcards within were gloss UV’d and perforated for potential removal.

The media kit was released to recipients in over 30 territories and received great feedback from recipients and the client, with numerous YouTube unboxings and offline/social media coverage. Imagery of the kit and it’s production below.